County Gray Bar Menu

Tomato Grafting and Disease Management Workshop March 12

AMES, Iowa – Grafting tomatoes is centuries old and it has come to the forefront in the past decade for several reasons. Grafting can be used successfully to manage soil borne diseases and improve yields in both hybrid and heirloom tomatoes. Growers also are interested in learning about grafting tomatoes for yield improvement and disease management.

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach will conduct a tomato grafting and pest management workshop on Tuesday, March 12, at Reiman Gardens in Ames. Presenters at the workshop are Ajay Nair, extension horticulturist, and Laura Jesse and Erika Saalau-Rojas, pathologists with the Iowa State Plant and Insect Diagnostic Lab. The workshop will begin with a 9:30 a.m. registration and conclude at 2:30 p.m. Nair’s grafting presentation starts at 10 a.m. The workshop is co-sponsored by The Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Practical Farmers of Iowa.

Workshop participants will learn about proper techniques of grafting and handling of grafted plants, and how to manage insect pests and diseases in tomato plantings. Live samples will be available to learn how to identify pests and disease, and their symptoms. Master gardeners, home gardeners and commercial vegetable growers will find this hands-on grafting and pest management experience beneficial.